Mapping Endangered Animals: Raise Awareness in your Classroom

Recovering and protecting endangered animals is a world-wide effort. Here in the United States many animals are disappearing from our own native land, both state and nationwide.

By working hands-on with maps, your students can become more aware of these extinct or nearly-lost animals in their own state, country and parts of the world. And for a two-fold reward, your students will be raising their awareness, at the same time learning geography!

First use mapping as a way to locate these species “close to home”. Mapping activities can also be used to record endangered animals on a world level, using country, region or world maps.

Through mapping activities, students learn that some endangered species are specific to a certain place, and others more widely distributed.

Classroom involvement

Using maps to study US endangered animals can be done over any period of time, from a few days to the whole school year. Here are some elements that can be part of your work.

One: Define what endangered means. Present vocabulary and terms that clarify what the issues are– see some terms at the end of this post!

Two: Research, starting local. Then if you have time, expand to continents, countries and the world.

Three: Mapping! Have large blank maps ready for your students to use to record the animals they study. Large maps will allow them to draw pictured of the animals in their areas.

Links for researching endangered species

In your own state, you can locate endangered animals!

Look for ways to find out what animals are in trouble close to home. Some of these animals span larger areas than just state. Check out this link:

Mapping specific endangered animals

It is an informative classroom activity to study a list of American endangered species, starting with your state. Start by researching what species (and plants!) might be endangered in your specific state. Then you can move on to regions of the United States and the country as a whole. You can also have students draw in endangered animals on a larger USA map.

Here we see the Red Wolf of North Carolina added to the state map of North Carolina. Click on image to see larger.

Have students add others to your state, like these other endangered species:

Cui-ui fish Nevada

Beach vole, Massachusetts

Shortnose Cisco, Lake Superior, Michigan

Mapping endangered species worldwide

Here are some examples! Students can locate endangered animals on a World map.

Words related to the efforts being made to deal with endangered animals:

About Map of the Month

Map of the Month has been making geography maps that students and teachers love for 25 years! Cartography (map-making) is our passion and we wish to inspire students and teachers to explore our wonderful world. Headquartered in historic Providence, RI, our map-making business is family owned and operated by the Newtons.

No comments yet.

What Our Customers Say

I love your maps. I am teaching a K-2 country study this Fall and the maps I bought are for each of the kids to have their own to see where each country is located. Your large map lets them get a better view of the world.